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Kristy Norrell

We spent so many childhood afternoons sitting at the counter in Grandma’s kitchen, savoring the chocolatey comfort of a bowl of homemade pudding. We loved it then, and we love it now. Chocolate pudding certainly ain’t fancy, but it’s indulgent without being fussy. It’s dense, but velvety at the same time. It’s simple, but it will cure any chocolate craving. It’s love in a bowl. And that’s hard to beat.

It may be easy to reach for that little box of instant stuff to whisk up some pudding, and some days that might suffice just fine, but there’s nothing like the creamy, dreamy homemade version. Our recipe relies on both egg yolks and cornstarch to give it a little bit more of a silky, custardy feel. The ingredients are whisked up simply in a double boiler; we promise it’s a breeze to make. And the texture and deep chocolate flavor are absolutely heavenly.

This American classic has endured throughout the years because it’s homey and simple and it’s straight-up delicious. It’s an easy no-bake confection to whip up and it’s no wonder Grandma loved to make it for the kids all those years ago. We love to make it for ours, and to this day, it’s still hard for us to wait until it cools to serve up a bowl. Luckily there’s always the spoon to lick. What are you waiting for? Go on ahead and make some for the “kids!”

Preparation

Set up a double-boiler by placing a heat-proof bowl over a simmering pot of water.

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in the top bowl, then whisk in milk and add in chocolate and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until chocolate is fully melted.

Continue stirring until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and pour roughly 1/4 cup hot pudding mixture into bowl with beaten eggs and whisk vigorously to temper eggs. (This raises the temperature of the eggs so they don’t curdle or scramble when you add them to the pudding mixture.)

While stirring continuously, pour tempered eggs into pudding mixture and cook for another 2 minutes, then stir in vanilla extract and butter.

Remove from heat and top with plastic wrap, making sure to press plastic wrap firmly against surface of pudding to avoid a film from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled.